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Category: Telecom

Retail News Asia is committed to providing both local and global retailers with the latest Telecom & Telco news throughout the Asian market. This on a daily base.

  • Malaysia Airlines moves fully to the cloud

    Malaysia Airlines moves fully to the cloud

    Tata Consultancy Services has implemented an industry-first transformation project to migrate Malaysia Airlines’ data center to a 100% hybrid cloud model.

    To better enable a competitive-edge and future readiness for the airline, TCSorchestrated the large and complex project to migrate the airline’s core mission-critical data center infrastructure and myriad applications to a hybrid-cloud model operating 80% on Microsoft Azure and 20% on a private cloud.

    The pioneering move makes Malaysia Airlines the world’s first full-service airline to completely replace its existing data centers and adopt full-scale cloud solutions for its entire range of nearly 200 applications running mission critical commercial, operations and corporate systems.

    “We set out with an ambitious goal to digitally transform core IT operations to an as-a-service model, to achieve a quantum leap in cost savings, scalability, efficiencies, agility, and other key factors,” Malaysia Airlines CIO Tan Kok Meng said.

    The cloud-centric model is achieving exemplary results, including a 51% cost reduction forecast over the a 5-year period from mid-2016; productivity improvements up to 80% for core applications; application delivery times accelerated from days to hours in some cases; enhanced security and compliance capability and reporting.

    TCS Asia Pacific president Girish Ramachandran said this industry-first transformation not just drives improved value and enhanced operational efficiencies, but equally important, it enables Malaysia Airlines to deliver a better customer experience that results from a digitally-reimagined all-cloud IT model.

    As primary service partner, TCS collaborated with Microsoft, SAP, and numerous other vendors to ensure Malaysia Airlines’ current phase of digital evolution is seamless and cost-efficient and delivered without business disruption.

    The project scope included re-platforming of legacy applications for cloud compatibility and network service provisioning for large and complex airline operations. See the cloud transformation story in a single snapshot here.

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  • DoCoMo achieves URLLC with outdoor 5G trial

    DoCoMo achieves URLLC with outdoor 5G trial

    Japan’s NTT DoCoMo has claimed two new world first with recent 5G trials, including the first successful outdoor trial of 5G technologies for ultra-reliable low latency communications (URLLC).

    The trial, conducted with Huawei in the 4.5-GHz bands, involved a stationary mobile terminal receiving signals at distances of up to 1km from the base station.

    DoCoMo said the trial achieved an over-the-air latency of less than 1ms with a packet transmission success rate of more than 99.999% – both prerequisites for URLLC under 3GPP and ITU-R standards.

    These standards were achieved at distances of 0.3km to 0.6km from the base station when the terminal was moving at around 25km/h. Both tests achieved actual over-the-air latency of around 0.65ms downlink and 0.57ms uplink.

    Separately, DoCoMo conducted a joint trial with MediaTek involves using a self-developed non-orthogonal multiple access (NOMA) chipset designed to increase the spectral efficiency of mobile devices by up to 2.3 times compared to existing LTE technology.

    This marked the first 5G trial using a smartphone-sized NOMA chipset embedded device to increase spectral efficiency, DoCoMo said. The chipset also used MediaTek’s multi-user interference cancellation technology, a prerequisite for NOMA.

    Finally, DoCoMo also announced it has teamed up with Sony to conduct a joint trial involving real-time transition of HD video over 5G to Sony’s experimental New Concept Cart high-tech vehicle (see the picture below).

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  • SKT steps up efforts to launch 5G earlier

    SKT steps up efforts to launch 5G earlier

    SK Telecom has accelerated its efforts to deploy 5G services earlier than expected with the demonstration of key 5G enabling technologies in a real-world setting.

    The operator has implemented a 5G relay repeater operating in the 28-GHz and 3.5-GHz 5G-candidate frequency bands at its Bundang office. SK Telecom has deployed a 5G trial network at this office.

    Using the in-building 5G relay repeater, SK Telecom was able to achieve speeds of up to 4Gbps.

    While 28-GHz spectrum has a higher potential capacity than lower-band spectrum radio waves in this band are more likely to move in straight lines, meaning they are blocked more sharply by obstacles and have significantly shorter radio coverage. This effect is particularly strong inside buildings where areas are divided by walls.

    The 5G repeater is aimed at improving the quality of indoor service, a key prerequisite for the development of a 5G service.

    SK Telecom has also worked with SK Telesys to develop an in-building relay repeater capable of delivering 5G radio signals over 3.5-GHz using a building’s existing mobile infrastructure. The station uses the existing antennas for 2G, 3G and LTE services, reducing the time needed to build an indoor network for 5G.

    SK Telecom has also demonstrated a 360-degree virtual reality video call using a tablet size device over the trial 5G network between SK Telecom’s Seoul headquarters and an area nearby.

    The demonstration was performed in the CBD and used expected 5G technologies including beamforming as well as network virtualization.

    “The success of 5G wireless communications in the real-world environment will give us momentum to accelerate our effort to roll out 5G service earlier than expected,” SK Telecom SVP and head of network technology R&D Park Jin-hyo said.

    “We at SK Telecom will continue to develop our capabilities to rollout 5G networks in order to offer differentiated services to our customers.”

  • DoCoMo finally exits Tata Teleservices

    DoCoMo finally exits Tata Teleservices

    Japan’s NTT DoCoMo has finally completed its exit from Indian joint venture Tata Teleservices, following the acquisition of Tata Teleservices’ consumer mobile business by Bharti Airtel.

    DoCoMo disclosed it has received the payment awarded by the Delhi High Court in the legal dispute with the Reserve Bank of India over DoCoMo’s planned exit from the venture. The company has received 144.9 billion yen ($1.27 billion).

    The dispute was related to DoCoMo’s original agreement when it first invested in Tata Teleservices back in 2008. The investment had the condition that DoCoMo was entitled to sell its stake in the venture at a predetermined sum if it chose to.

    DoCoMo first attempted to exercise the option in 2014 after being unsatisfied with the performance of the venture, but the RBI blocked the transaction on the grounds that it violates Indian regulations restricting the sale of shares at a price higher than market value.

    DoCoMo entered international arbitration with Tata Sons and Tata Teleservices over the dispute, and the court awarded DoCoMo with $1.17 billion in damages. But the RBI again objected to the transaction, prompting DoCoMo to file a case with the Delhi High Court.

    With the court finding in DoCoMo’s favor and Tata Group having now sold off Tata Teleservices’ consumer mobile business to Airtel, DoCoMo was finally able to collect on the settlement.

    The 144.9 billion yen payment included the original damages awarded as well as interests earned and other cots awarded. DoCoMo has now transferred all its shares in Tata Teleservices to Tata Sons and companies designated by Tata Sons.

    Due to the payout DoCoMo has adjusted its forecast for the financial year ending in March 2018 to predict net income of 740 billion yen, up from the initial forecast of 655 billion yen.

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  • Honeywell’s enterprise tablet provides real-time connectivity, fast data capture capabilities

    Honeywell’s enterprise tablet provides real-time connectivity, fast data capture capabilities

    Honeywell’s new enterprise-ready tablet, the ScanPal™ EDA70, provides workers with real-time connectivity for business-critical applications and efficient data capture capabilities. The lightweight, rugged tablet is built on the Android 7 (Nougat) platform and is ideal for scan-intensive workflows such as customer engagement and on-demand delivery. The device keeps mobile workers always connected to crucial information to place orders, check stock, look up order status or scan items as they are removed for delivery.

    “Our customers and their mobile workers need a truly mobile office with reliable access to communication and information,” said Raj Singh, vice president and general manager of Honeywell Safety and Productivity Solutions. “We designed the EDA70 for the connected mobile worker, who needs to facilitate large file transfers, use video streaming and gain remote access to business applications quickly to manage a wide variety of tasks. The large screen allows workers to view more data, such as inventory stock or schematics, and the rugged casing protects the unit from accidental drops and falls that would damage consumer-grade tablets.”

    The ScanPal EDA70 features:

    • A fast processor;
    • 1D/2D barcode scanning;
    • A built-in camera;
    • A vivid 7-inch Corning Gorilla Glass display readable in bright light;
    • Ample battery life to power through a full shift and beyond.

    The ScanPal EDA70’s design also features a sleek exterior and modern, all-touch interface for a contemporary appearance in customer-facing applications, as well as multiple input modes to save valuable time and minimise data entry errors. Honeywell also offers a full suite of accessories for the device, including desktop charging/docking systems and battery charging base.

    Honeywell Safety and Productivity Solutions provides products, software and connected solutions that improve productivity, workplace safety and asset performance for customers across the globe.

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  • China Telecom signs IoT deal with Bridge Alliance

    China Telecom signs IoT deal with Bridge Alliance

    China Telecom has forged an IoT business partnership agreement with APAC and MEA mobile industry group Bridge Alliance.

    Under the agreement, China Telecom will be able to provide IoT and M2M services to multinational enterprise customers across Bridge Alliance’s footprint of 34 markets.

    Bridge Alliance members will likewise be able to take advantage of the partnership by extending their own IoT services into China.

    The partnership will leverage Bridge Alliance’s technical and commercial capabilities to provide homogeneous solutions across its footprint, taking advantage of the simplicity of a single point of integration with China Telecom.

    Both China Telecom and Bridge Alliance members have deployed common connectivity platforms to provide customers with a unified experience when deploying their solutions across multiple markets.

    The Asia-Pacific excluding Japan IoT market is predicted to surge to $455 billion in 2021, making it the top region for IoT investments in the world, according to IDC.

    “We are excited to join Bridge Alliance as a business partner. China Telecom has a strong portfolio of multinational enterprise customers who are looking to deploy their products and services across the Asia Pacific, Middle East and Africa regions. Bridge Alliance is the ideal partner to fulfil such requirements,” Chian Telecom managing director of global business Deng Xiao Feng.

    “Likewise, China Telecom is also ready to support any inbound opportunities from the member operators into China. With the supporting common platform and the business opportunities across these different regions, we are confident this partnership will be a mutually beneficial and win-win business collaboration.”

  • SmarTone, Ericsson trial FDD massive MIMO in Hong Kong

    SmarTone, Ericsson trial FDD massive MIMO in Hong Kong

    Ericsson and Hong Kong mobile network operator SmarTone have begun to trial FDD (Frequency Division Duplex) massive MIMO (Multiple Input, Multiple Output) technology as part of the operator’s network evolution plan towards 5G, said the companies in a press event in Hong Kong Monday.

    The trial, involving FDD massive MIMO on 1800 MHz, represents the first of its kind for operators in Hong Kong. The trial comes ahead of 2018’s planned deployment of AIR 3246, Ericsson’s new radio that can support massive MIMO over 4G/LTE with Ericsson’s 5G massive MIMO plug-in, said the companies.

    “Our extension of the strategic partnership with Ericsson in October last year includes a five-year network evolution plan towards 5G,” said Stephen Chau, CTO, SmarTone. “Ericsson’s FDD massive MIMO solution will play an instrumental part in providing our customers in dense urban environments with [the] enhanced user experiences they have come to expect from SmarTone.”

    “We are working closely with SmarTone to develop, trial, and deploy key 5G technologies that will further enhance the user experience,” said Nishant Batra, head of product area network infrastructure, Ericsson. The recent LAA field trial, and now the trial of FDD massive MIMO, enable us to jointly shape the next-generation network technology.”

    Ericsson recently launched its first radio, AIR 3246, supporting FDD massive MIMO for both 4G and 5G. The technology is designed to enable operators—especially in metropolitan areas—to bring 5G to subscribers using today’s mid-band spectrum and boost capacity in their LTE networks.

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  • Optus Wholesale launches home wireless broadband

    Optus Wholesale launches home wireless broadband

    Australia’s Optus Wholesale has added home wireless broadband to its product suite for MVNOs utilizing the Optus 4G network.

    The Optus subsidiary is providing the service to give wholesale customers the ability to provide home wireless broadband as an alternative to fixed broadband, particularly in areas where the national broadband network (NBN) has not yet been deployed.

    The company will provide a home wireless broadband kit with a Huawei wireless modem and SIM card included.

    Optus Wholesale customer Exetel will be the first company to roll out the new product.

    The company says the service will deliver speeds of 12Mbps down and 1Mbps up in metropolitan areas where there is 2300-MHz coverage, or 5Mbps down 1Mbps up where this coverage is not available.

    Speeds will be capped to 256Mbps once the maximum data allowance included in the plan is reached.

    “We work closely with our partners to deliver a service that will improve customer experience, and we’ve developed this following market demand for a more flexible solution,” Optus Wholesale VP of marketing John Castro said.

    “Home Wireless Broadband is an alternative to fixed broadband, so our wholesale partners are now able to offer a solution for people living in areas where NBN has not yet been rolled out or for people that like a plug and play option for their home internet service.”

    Optus Wholesale already provides fixed broadband services for wholesale customers. Parent company Optus is Australia’s second largest mobile operator, and is itself a wholly-owned Singtel subsidiary.

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  • Microsoft tops forecasts with 16 percent profit growth

    Microsoft tops forecasts with 16 percent profit growth

    The tech giant saw growth in its ‘productivity and business process’ and ‘intelligent cloud’ units.

    Microsoft on Thursday delivered stronger-than-expected earnings for the past quarter, lifted by gains in cloud computing and other business services.

    For its first fiscal quarter to September 30, the tech giant said profit was up 16 percent from a year ago to $6.6 billion.

    Revenue meanwhile rose 12 percent to $24.5 billion for the one-time tech sector leader which has shifted its focus away from consumer software to a range of enterprise services.

    Shares in Microsoft jumped 3.2 percent to $81.35 for in after-hours trade following the release.

    Microsoft chief executive Satya Nadella said: “Our results reflect accelerating innovation and increased usage and engagement across our businesses as customers continue to choose Microsoft to help them transform.”

    Microsoft’s “more personal computing” division which produces the ubiquitous Windows operating system, saw revenues virtually unchanged from a year ago at $9.4 billion.

    But it showed sharp growth of 28 percent from its “productivity and business process” unit, which brought in revenues of $8.2 billion.

    The “intelligent cloud” unit that delivers artificial intelligence to a wide range of products saw its revenues grow 14 percent to $6.9 billion in the quarter.

    LinkedIn, the professional social network acquired by Microsoft last year, contributed revenue of $1.1 billion during the quarter.

    Microsoft said its “cloud technologies” operations now accounts for some $20 billion annualized and is a key to the company’s future.

    “Across major industries — from finance and energy sector to retail and professional sports — organizations are betting on Microsoft to help them transform their customers’ experiences, employee productivity, operations and products,” said executive vice president Judson Althoff.

    “In fact, 96 percent of Fortune 500 companies have at least one of our cloud offerings, and 90 percent have at least two.”

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  • SmarTone names winners of 24-hour hackathon

    SmarTone names winners of 24-hour hackathon

    An international team of students has won Hong Kong mobile operator SmarTone’s first smart Hackathon with a predictive maintenance solution for utilities.

    The team of of four university students and programmers from India, Poland, the Philippines and the US developed Prodict during the 24-hour hackathon, which had the theme of smart properties.

    Prodict analyzes data collected from various sensors and uses machine learning technology to predict the imminent failure of utilities services before they happen.

    The runner up was Pop UP, a virtual guidebook for office equipment that uses augmented reality technology, while third place went to Softhard.io, a property management solution that leverages internet of things (IoT), low-power wide area networking (LPWAN) and machine learning technology.

    The three winning teams shared in cash prizes of HK$50,000, HK$30,000 and HK$20,000 respectively, as well as new devices from sponsor Samsung.

    In addition, the winners will also be given the chance to join the Microsoft BizSpark Program and be entitled to a fast-track interview for the Cyberport Creative Micro Fund (CCMF) or Cyberport Incubation Program.

    “Hong Kong’s future depends on maximizing the potential of the next-generation and SmarTone Hackathon is the ideal platform to identify and nurture the brightest and best from Hong Kong’s budding technology talent pool,” SmarTone CEO Anna Yip said.

    “It is essential we foster the creativity and enthusiasm of the younger generation and events like the hackathon can serve to ignite their innovative thinking to fulfill Hong Kong’s smart city ambition.”

    The event was announced in August, and co-sponsored by Sun Hung Kai Properties and SUNeVision as well as Microsoft and Samsung. The hackathon attracted 120 participants.

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  • LG U+ and Huawei trial UHD IPTV

    LG U+ and Huawei trial UHD IPTV

    South Korea’s LG U+ and Huawei have completed a trial involving ultra-high definition IPTV streaming over 5G fixed wireless access with chipset based 5G millimeter wave customer premise equipment.

    The world-first trial demonstrated UHD (3840 x 2160) resolution IPTV over 5G, achieving up to a 2Gbps capacity over an end-to-end 5G network operating in the 28-GHz band.

    It used Huawei’s end-to-end 5G portfolio including 5G gNodeB, NG Core and 5G CPE offerings. Huawei said its new 5G CPE is the world’s first chipset based CPE ready for commercial engineering, including both outdoor and indoor equipment

    “This world’s first end-to-end FWA test shows that, following LG U+ and Huawei’s successful cooperation in the LTE era, the investment of the two sides in 5G research has had breakthrough results,” LG U+ 5G network strategy VP Kim Dae Hee said.

    “We will work with Huawei to maintain in-depth cooperation, and prepare for the coming 5G commercial launch.”

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  • NBN Co to deploy G.fast from 2018

    NBN Co to deploy G.fast from 2018

    Australia’s NBN Co, the state-owned company building the national broadband network, has revealed it will deploy the G.fast copper acceleration technology on its network from 2018.

    The company will adopt G.fast for the fibre-to-the-building and fibre-to-the-curb components of its networks to provide an upgrade path for these users to ultra-fast speeds.

    G.fast and the more advanced XG FAST can accelerate the speeds of VDSL lines to fibre-like speeds. XG FAST can deliver speeds of up to 1Gbps depending on the condition and length of the copper last mile.

    NBN Co said its trials of the technology in 2015 achieved speeds of 600Mbps over a 20 year old stretch of 100 meter coper cabling. But the average age of a copper connection in Australia is 35 years.

    “Adding G.fast to the toolkit for the FTTC and FTTB networks will allow us to deliver ultra-fast services faster and more cost effectively than if we had to deliver them on a full FTTP connection,” NBN Co chief strategy officer JB Rousselot said.

    The NBN project as envisioned by the previous labor government would have delivered FTTP connections to 93% of Australian premises, with fixed wireless and satellite technologies reaching the remaining 7%. But this plan was controversially scrapped by the current government in favor of a multi-technology mix of FTTP, FTTN, FTTC, HFC, fixed wireless and satellite.

    “Our FTTP and HFC end-users already have the technology to support Gigabit services and adding G.fast over FTTC provides the upgrade path for our FTTN end users to ultimately receive Gigabit speeds too,” Rousselot continued.

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  • Singapore named most robust data center market

    Singapore named most robust data center market

    Despite a large amount of supply coming through 2015–2016, the data center market in Singapore continues to lead some of its large neighbors in the Asia-Pacific (APAC) region in a race to the top of data center location rankings.

    According to Cushman & Wakefield’s Data Center Risk Index, Singapore is the most robust market out of 10 Asian countries in terms of business operations for data centers. Out of 10 Asian countries included in the index, Singapore scored 84.50 out of 100, ahead of Korea (83.23), Hong Kong (78.73) and Japan (76.48).

    The Data Center Risk Index identifies the top risks likely to affect data center business operations. It considers such criteria as energy, internet bandwidth, ease of doing business, political stability, natural disaster and energy stability.

    Singapore ranks strongly for network infrastructure, diverse connectivity to major APAC markets, its pro-business environment and political stability.

    Singapore has seen an influx of new data center capacity in the last two years, with an additional 130 MW on top of the existing capacity of 240 MW at the beginning of 2015.

    There has been some price and vacancy pressure, particularly among smaller data center players.

    However, over the medium to long term, Singapore should be able to expand its capacity by another 100 MW on the back of the Smart Nation initiative, as the government pushes for a national digital transformation program.

    Local data center providers such as Singtel, Keppel Data Centres and ST Telemedia stand to be the primary beneficiaries of this, while the international data center providers will continue to focus on winning international deals from medium to large enterprises coming into Singapore.

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  • M1 launches 10Gbps symmetrical PON

    M1 launches 10Gbps symmetrical PON

    Singapore’s M1 has upgraded and expanded its suite of services for corporate customers, including through the introduction of the world’s first 10Gbps symmetrical passive optical network.

    The new symmetric PON service will allow M1 to provide low-latency 10Gbps symmetrical speeds with guaranteed bitrates across Singapore, for applications including SDN, cloud computing and 4K or 8K video transfers.

    In addition, M1 has introduced a new unified operations monitoring centre to provide real-time information on both network service and public or private cloud IT infrastructure to enterprise customers.

    This will include early warning of impending equipment failure to allow companies to conduct proactive maintenance to rectify potential faults before they occur.

    Finally, M1 has expanded its fiber network to the famous Shenton Way and Orchard Road major streets and the Buona Vista housing estate in Singapore.

    This will allow the operator to offer high-speed corporate connectivity services to more than 55 shopping malls, offices and commercial buildings in those areas.

    “The corporate segment is a key growth sector for M1, and we have accelerated our investments in technology, infrastructure and expertise to better serve our customers,” M1 chief corporate sales and solutions officer Willis Sim said.
    “With the successful launch of our symmetrical PON solution, next-generation unified operations monitoring centre and fibre to the building infrastructure, M1 can offer advance customised high bandwidth connectivity to meet the growing requirements of Internet of Things, smart nation, cloud and big data solutions from our customers.”

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  • Telekom Malaysia signs backhaul deal with edotco

    Telekom Malaysia signs backhaul deal with edotco

    Telekom Malaysia has entered an agreement with regional infrastructure services company edotco aimed at providing backhaul services for Malaysian mobile operators’ LTE deployments.

    Under the partnership, Telekom Malayia will provide its next-generation backhaul (NGBH) services for connectivity between operators’ cell sites and their core network at edotco’s ground-based tower sites in selected areas.

    The two companies will also explore opportunities to provide common infrastructure via smart centralized radio access network (smart CRAN) services to allow operators to expand their coverage footprints.

    Malaysia-based edotco provides end-to-end tower services ranging from tower leasing, co-location, build-to-suit, energy, transmission and operation and maintenance. The company operates in Malaysia, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Cambodia, Pakistan and Myanmar, and has a portfolio of over 26,000 towers across these markets.

    “Telekom Malaysia is proud to be given the opportunity to fulfill our role as the strategic partner in the country’s economic development. This partnership allows us to share and converge our capabilities towards accelerating Malaysia to be digitally connected,” Telekom Malasia group CEO Dato’ Sri Mohammed Shazalli Ramly said.

    “Telekom Malaysia is also committed to support the Government’s aspiration in providing better broadband access to Malaysians nationwide and further embrace smart solutions by offering next generation services.”

    The collaboration is subject to the signing of a definitive agreement that is expected to be finalized within the next six months.

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